Pneumatically-operated device.



W. G. SMITH. PNBUMATIGALLY OPBRATED umm. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 6, 1908. 914,463e Patented Mar. 9. 1909.

ITE SATS lA'IENT @FIOR WILLARD C. SMITH, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SCHAEFFER PIANO MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS PNEUMATICALLY-OPERATED DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented March 9, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD C. SMrri-i, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Kankakee, county of Kankakee, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatically-Operated Devices, of which the following is a speciiication.

The main objects of this invention are, to provide a regulator i'or pneumatic musical instruments, such as piano players, in which regulator the valves may be readily accessible while connected up in their normal working positions; to provide a regulator wherein all of the valve-seats lie in horizontal planes whereby the proper contact of the valves with their seats shall be assisted by gravity and will not depend solely upon springs which are likely to become Weak; to provide an improved construction which will obviate the usual cutting of a hole in the front of the governor case; to provide a construction which will' permit the air passing through the valves of the regulator to be drawn into the air-pump through a single opening; and to provide an improved construction and method of mounting the governor valve, so that warping of the casing will not cause imperfect seating of said valve and result in leakage.

These objects are accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a regulator for player pianos, constructed according to this invention, the front being partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a section on lines 2-2 o1e Figs. 1 and 3, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 8 3 of Fig. 1.

Ordinarily the casing of regulators of this type has been glued together so as to form practically a solid boX, and the interior valves have been so arranged that they cannot be repaired nor even properly adjusted, without removing the casing in its entirety, involving the disconnecting of the projecting valve stems from their operating mechanisms (not shown).

In the construction shown, the casing is made in two parts, marked 6 and 8, respectively. The main part 8 is fastened upon the front of the pump 7 by screws 5 and may be also glued to insure a tight joint. The second part 6 forms a cover and closure for the part 8 and is secured thereto by screws 9. One of these parts is provided with sheet packing 10, usually of leather, which when compressed forms an air tight union between the parts of the casing. Said screws provide for easy removal of the front part of the casing without disturbing the other. Said front part is provided with a collapsible wall, comprising a rigid plate 11 hinged at one edge to the rear part 6 and having its other edges connected thereto by air-tight rubber-coated fabric 12. The plate 11. is pressed outward by a biurcated spring 13, bearing between lugs 14, the tension of the spring being adjusted by shifting it along the lugs 14rtoward or away from the hinge. The plate 1l being smaller than the outside casing 6, the edge of said casing projects as a flange, through which the screws 9 are passed.

A governing valve 15, of novel construction, is actuated by movements of the plate 11. Said valve controls the communication between the main air chamber within the governor and that of the pump 7, being fully open when the pump is idle or when the influx of air through the tracker (not shown) is fully equal to that taken by the pump. The seat 16 for said valve is horizontally disposed, being the upper face of a block 16, and is provided with a narrow oblong port 17 which opens into the passage 18. Said valve 15 is disposed parallel to the port 17, and mounted for transverse movement. A pair of spring lingers 19 are secured to the inner face of the plate 11 and bear upon the valve at points near the edge thereof which moves across the port 17. The ends of the springs 19 are bent downward and seated in blind recesses in the valve. Said fingers have the double function of pressing the valve downward upon its seat and transmitting its movements from the collapsible wall 11. Said iingers bear loosely upon the valve, that is to say, are not rigidly secured thereto. The object is to permit said valve to yield in any direction and conform to any departure of the valve-seat from a true plane, such as might be caused by warping of the wood. Even in the absence of downward pressure by said lingers, the force of gravity tends to hold the valve to its seat.

A felt covered stop 34 is glued to the outer face of the part 16 and is adapted to limit the inward movement of the plate or wall 11 without noise. The opening 2O through the wall of the pump, which communicates with said passage 18, is in this construction the sole airconnection between 'the pump and the governor. An air-port 21, controlled by the accent valve 22, passes through the upper wall 23 of said passage or chamber 18.

The parts 16 and 23 together form a hori! Zontal partition dividing off that part of the apparatus which has connection with the air pump from that part which at 29 has connection with the player. The seat of the -valve 22 -is formed in the horizontal upper face of the wall 23, which is fixed within the main part S of the casing. The valve 22L is provided with the usual operating rod 211 and-is pressed lightly upon its seat by gravity and by a spring 25. This valve is adapted to control the communication between chamber 18 and the main air chamber,findependently of the governor valve 1 5.

In the top of the part 8 is located a valve 26, by means of which the operator may shut off the pump from the playing` valves (not shown) when he operates the pump to re-wind a roll of music. A horizontal partition 27 provides a chamber 28, separated from the main air-chamber. This chamber 28 -communicates at 29 with a trunk (not shown) that leads to the yvalve chest of the player.

The -valve 26 slides upon the upper face ofthe partition 27 and has an operating rod 30 and a spring 31. Normally this valve is in open position, to permit the pump to exhaust air from the player. The front wall 32 of the chamber 28 is permanently secured to the part 6 ofthe casing, so that when said part 6 is removed, the valve 2G is in plain sight and fully accessible. Moreover, as the vvvalves 26 and 22 areinounted inthe `,part 8 of the casing, their-rods need not be disconnected from the operating parts to permit of inspection, adjustment or cleaning of the valves.

The operation of the device shown is as follows: The spring 13 normally urges the plate 11 outward and thereby `normally holds the valve 15 open. The valve 26 is also open except at times when the pump is being operated for rewinding the music roll. The operation of the pump 7 exhausts air from the interior of the casing and, through the connections of the regulator with the player, causes suction through the openings in the tracker, which causes the various notes to play. The tracker and player mechanism are omitted from the drawings, as their specific construction forms no part of this invention. i

The changes in pressure of the air within the casing due to irregularities inthe operation of the pump and to changes `in the amount of air admitted through the vtracker are compensated for by thehinward movetening the sound produced by the instrument.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a regulator of the class described, the combination of a casing made in two separable parts and having an air port, an accent valve mounted in one of said parts .and adapted to control the flow of air through said port,an operating rod for moving said valve extending outward through the casing and adapted to be connected with operating mechanism, a governing valve mounted in the other of said parts and adapted to control the vflow of air through said port, said governing valve being automatically moved through changes in the air pressure in said casing, seats forsaid valves in their respective parts of the casing, the parts of said casing being adapted to be separated without disturbing the relation of said valves with their respective seats.

2. A regulator of the class described, comprising a casing formed of two separable parts, a main part and a cover, partitions extending transversely across said parts and abutting against each other, said partitions having therein separate passagesin each of said parts, a valve in said main part, controlling its respective passage and having a stem adapted for connection to controlling mechanism, a valve in said cover controlling its respective passage and operated through changes in the air pressure in said casi-iig.

In a regulator' of the class described, the combination of a casing comprising a lirst part adapted to be secured to an air pump, a partition subdividing said first part into two compartments, and a second part detachably connected to said first part and forming a closure therefor, said second part having a wall adapted to form a closure for one of the compartments in said first part, an air port in said partition, a valve controlling said air port and `provided with a stem extending outwardly of the casing for .connection with the controlling mechanism,

said wall having therein any air port separate from that in the partition, and a valve controlling the port in said wall and adaptedto operate through changes in the air pressure insaid casing.

4l. In a governor for controlling the suetion of the air pumps of pneumatically controlled instruments, the combination of a casing comprising two parts detachably eonnected to each other, one of said parts being adapted to be connected to the air pump and having therein a port communicating with the air pump, a pair of valves mounted in said part for independently controlling the admission of air to the pump, said valves being provided with rods extending outwardly from the casing for connection with the controlling mechanism, the other part of the casing having therein a valve also adapted to control the admission of air to the pump, said last named valve being adapted to operate through changes in the pressure of air in said casing.

5. In an air controlled apparatus, the combination with an air pump, of a regulator casing comprising a iirst and a second part, said first part being secured to and in communication with said pump, a valve in said first part, controlling the liow of air between said regulator and pump, mechanism for operating said valve from the outside of said casing, said second part being detachably secured to said first part, and a valve mounted in said second part and adapted to automatically control the flow of air between said casing and said pump independently of said iirst valve, said second valve being operated through changes in the pressure of the air in said casing.

In a regulator ot the class described, the combination ot a casing comprising two parts separable from each other, a divided partition having a part respectively mounted in each of said parts of the casing, an air port in the walls of said casing at one side of said partition, each of said partition parts having an opening therethrough communicating with said port, a slide valve mounted in one part oiu the casing and adapted to be mechanically7 controlled Jfrom the outside of the casing for controlling the flow of air through the respective opening in said partition, a second slide valve mounted on said partition and controlling the iiow ci air through the other opening therein, and a pneumatic device comprised in the second part of the casing for actuating said second valve, each of said valves being arranged so as to be undisturbed in its relation with its seat and operating devices through the separation of the parts of the casing.

7. In a regulator of the class described,

'Tio

the combination of a casing comprising two parts separable from each other, a divided pai ition having a part respectively mounted in each of said parts oi' the easing, an air port in the walls of said casing at one side of said partition, each of said partition parts having an opening therethrough communieating with said port, a slide valve mounted in one part of the casing and adapted to be mechanically controlled from the outside of the casing for controlling the How of air through the respective opening in said pan tition, a second slide valve mounted on said partition and controlling the flow of air through theother opening therein, and a pneumatic device comprised in the second part of the casing for actuating said second valve, each of said valves being arranged so as to be undisturbed in its relation with its seat and operating devices through the separation of the parts of the casing, and each of said valves being mounted on a horizontally disposed seat and being ncrmally urged by gravity upon its seat.

8. In a governor of the class described, a casing provided with a collapsible wall, a valve-seat provided with an air port, a valve mounted slidably upon said seat for governing said port, and a resilient member adapted to transmit motion from said collapsible wall to said valve and at the same time urge said valve upon its seat.

9. In a governor of the class described, a casing provided with a collapsible wall, a valve-seat provided with an air port, a valve mounted slidably upon said seat for governing said port, and a spring arm` bearing loosely on said valve and being adapted to transmit motion from said collapsible wall to said valve and at the Same time urge said valve upon its seat.

10. In a governor of the class described, a casing provided with a collapsible wall, a valve-seat provided with an air port, a valve mounted slidably upon said seat Jfor governing said port, and a pair of spring arms spaced apart and adapted to transmit motion from said collapsible wall to said valve and at the same time urge said valve upon its seat.

Signed at Chicago this 2nd day of May, 1908.

TVILLARD C. SMITH.

l/Vitnesses EUGENE A. RUMMLER, MARY M. DILLMAN. 

